In the food and other consumer products industries, a need and therefore a market has been established for a twin-tray type small container for packaging food or food products, either as two separate portions in a single double-container structure or two different products such as a meat portion and a vegetable portion in the same two-container structure.
As an example, a double portion of the same product can be packaged in the twin trays which can then be separated, one opened for immediate use and the other put away for subsequent use or for use by two different people. As another example, a meat product can be put in one and a vegetable product in the other. Such a structure can be adapted for microwave use by the addition of microwave susceptor material for preparing related but separate food substances.
To be more acceptable to the customer, the product has to be user friendly, that is, easily handled and opened and at the same time tamper proof so that if one or both of the containers are opened prior to purchase by the end customer this fact will be readily apparent. This requires a seal of some sort which will remain intact until final use.
Such containers are supplied by the original manufacturer in flat, unerected, tubular form for erection by the customer's conventional forming, filling and sealing equipment. To keep the price down for the benefit of the original manufacturer, the customer for the unerected flat partially completed blanks who will erect the containers, fill them, and sell them and also the final customer of the food product, it is desirable to provide a container which may be formed from a one-piece flat blank which can be processed on such conventional packaging machinery and which will have an economy of material and as few parts as possible to provide the necessary features.
If such a twin arrangement is provided, particularly in substantially separated form, it is desirable to contemplate the inclusion of a relatively large panel portion which can be used as a billboard for printed and graphic advertising and informational intelligence.
It is the broad object of this invention to incorporate the above described desirable features in a one-part blank and also a twin-type container arrangement formed from the blank in a choice of embodiments and with an economy of material and container forming, filling and sealing process.